Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American illustrated children's novel series and media franchise created by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney.[1][2] The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he insists that it is a journal).[3] The characters of the book were first designed in 1998. Kinney spent eight years conceiving the first book before showing it to a publisher.[4] In 2004, Funbrain and Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries from September 2004 to June 2005.[5] The online version had received almost 20 million views by 2009. Nonetheless, many online readers requested a printed version of the book. In February 2006, during the New York Comic Con, Kinney signed a multi-book deal with publisher Abrams Books to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a printed book series.[4] The first installment was released in April 2007[5] and received immediate success. In April 2009, Time magazine named Kinney in the Time 100 most influential people.[6] As of October 2025, the series consists of twenty main entries, with an average of 1 book released a year, as well as an activity book. A spin-off series centering on the character Rowley Jefferson has three installments as of 2021.[7] 20th Century Studios produced a live-action film series of the same name from 2010 to 2017, and three animated films in the early 2020s.[8] Since the release of the online version, most of the books have garnered positive reviews and commercial success. As of 2020, more than 250 million copies have been sold globally, making it the fourth best-selling book series of all time.[9]